Romney returns to the campaign trail in Florida

After the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy, Governor Mitt Romney is back on the campaign trail, making an appearance in the key swing state of Florida.

Speaking to supporters in Tampa, Romney urged them to help those affected by the hurricane. He said: “Please, if you have an extra dollar or two send them along [to the Red Cross] and keep the people who are in harm’s way, who have been in harm’s way, who have been damaged either personally or through their property. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”

The candidate avoided any questions about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has led the post-Sandy recovery efforts. Last year, he made a statement that he would scrap FEMA if he became President.

Vice-President, Joe Biden, was also campaigning in Florida yesterday for the Democrats, as devastation caused by Sandy kept President Barack Obama off the campaign trail for another day. Earlier in the week, the President was due to appear alongside Bill Clinton in Orlando but had to return to Washington to monitor the storm.

Florida is the largest and one of the most crucial of the nine swing states, with 29 electoral votes on offer for the winning candidate. In the last ten Presidential elections, the state has voted for the winning President nine times. The state’s population is often referred to as the “microcosm of the country as a whole”. Recent figures show the candidates are neck and neck in the state, though Romney currently has a slight edge over the President.